


My Sweet Midori

by xsilverdreamsx



Series: My Sweet Midori [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bartender AU, Jazz Clubs, M/M, References to alcoholic drinks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-03
Updated: 2012-12-03
Packaged: 2017-11-19 20:14:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/577212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xsilverdreamsx/pseuds/xsilverdreamsx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a little side story for Midorima and Takao, set in the Aomine/Kagami bartender 'verse that I'm working on.</p><p>I had to shift the chapters around and move this into a standalone series because of the fic rating, so if you were following this story from the beginning, I'm sorry for the confusion.</p><p>
  <span class="small"><b>Disclaimer</b>: I don't own the characters, just playing in the sandbox.</span>
</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. My Sweet Midori

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little side story for Midorima and Takao, set in the Aomine/Kagami bartender 'verse that I'm working on.
> 
> I had to shift the chapters around and move this into a standalone series because of the fic rating, so if you were following this story from the beginning, I'm sorry for the confusion.
> 
> **Disclaimer** : I don't own the characters, just playing in the sandbox.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Come on, just a sip,” Takao tells him with a grin. “After all, this drink was named after you.”

Midorima comes to the club every Tuesdays and Thursdays. Takao hasn’t been working there long, but he already knows Midorima’s habits; the careful way he opens up the piano, lifting the cover as if it’s a precious thing to behold; the way he slides his fingers across the keys, testing the notes with his head tilted in order to catch any that are out of tune; and the way he pushes up his glasses when he addresses Takao, as if to give himself an extra second to come up with a response to his statements.

Takao watches in amusement as Midorima’s face turns bright red and he almost drops his lucky item, which, coincidentally, is a green lime.

“I don’t drink,” Midorima tells him flatly, and Takao supposes that he could be telling the truth. After all, he hasn’t seen Midorima touch a drop of alcohol once during his breaks, compared to the other hired performers who take advantage of Akashi’s generosity in having a running tab for them. (They never go overboard, of course, because Akashi’s reputation for getting rid of troublemakers under his payroll are intimidating enough; one of the earlier musicians who had gotten drunk and caused a ruckus had been fired. The man had difficulty finding a job in any other bar or club after that by the time Akashi was done.)

“Come on, just a sip,” Takao tells him, grinning. “After all, this drink was named after you.”

Adjusting his glasses - _stalling again, obviously_ , Takao thinks - Midorima looks suspiciously at the highball glass that’s sitting on the bartop, filled with Takao’s concoction. “It’s green. Are you trying to be funny?” Midorima doesn’t look like he’s laughing.

Takao's grin grows even wider. “Just try it,” he repeats, and on a whim, he adds, “unless you think you’ll get drunk on just a glass of this... “

Midorima sniffs.

Takao’s heart sinks a little.

And then, to his surprise, Midorima leans down and takes a sip through the straw.

Takao holds his breath.

“It’s too sweet,” Midorima says finally, and Takao’s heart sinks. “Did you put in a whole bottle of syrup?”

“Just... nevermind,” Takao says in a resigned voice, and he reaches out to remove the offensive cocktail from Midorima’s sight.

But as his fingers are about to touch the glass, Midorima thwarts him by pulling the glass away, and taking another sip.

“What are you doing?” Midorima asks, as Takao blinks at him in confusion.

“I was - I thought you didn’t like it?”

“I never said that!” Midorima’s blush is back, and he’s practically cradling the glass to his chest now. “I just... thought it was really sweet. That’s all!”

“Oh.” Takao doesn’t know what to say. In fact, he’s afraid to say anything because he’s had the worst crush on Midorima for a while now and with the way the pianist is acting, the way he’s embarrassed and trying to hide the fact that he’s being _nice_ to Takao, he’s afraid that he might blurt out his feelings accidentally.

He’s not sure he’s ready for rejection just yet.

“What did you put in it?” Midorima asks quietly, snapping Takao out of his daze.

“Huh? Oh, er... ginger ale, and lime juice... and,” Takao can’t help but give him another grin as he points out the bottle that’s on the shelf behind him, “Midori Melon.”

Midorima’s looking away when he replies, but it’s enough to make Takao’s heart beat faster, giving him a little more hope. “It’s a good drink.” He pauses, then asks in a cautious voice. “What’s it called?”

Takao tells him, and then relishes in the way Midorima messes up the songs in his next set while sneaking glances over at Takao’s place at the bar.

It’s a good drink, indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is based on a real cocktail, using Midori melon liqueur as a base. Here's the [recipe](http://www.barnonedrinks.com/drinks/m/my-sweet-midori-3484.html), if anyone's interested. (if you're of legal age to drink, of course)


	2. It Might Be the Sound of Your Hello

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time Takao is introduced to Midorima, it’s through a melancholy song that quietly weaves its way into Takao’s thoughts.

The first time Takao is introduced to Midorima, it’s through a melancholy song that quietly weaves its way into Takao’s thoughts.

And perhaps, he thinks much later, captures his heart.

Takao checks the clock on the wall behind him and discovers that it’s a little past four in the afternoon. Around him, the two waiters who were placed on the opening shift are going about setting up the place; rearranging the chairs and tables, wiping away any dust that might have accumulated since the previous night. Aomine, the bartender who’s training Takao, isn’t here yet - late, as usual - but even so, Takao doesn’t know of anyone else from the club who could play the piano.

The song continues on, slow, pausing briefly to fill the air with a sense of longing.

Curious, Takao puts down the glass he had been wiping and heads to the other end of the bar, where he’ll be able to gain a clearer view of the piano that’s set up on the small, raised stage at the front of the club.

He sees an unfamiliar-looking young man with green hair and glasses seated at the piano, playing away.

After several confused seconds, Takao comes to a realization; this must the new pianist that Akashi, his boss, had hired for the club. The previous night Takao had overheard Akashi informing Aomine that someone would be turning up today to replace the musician they had recently fired.

He can hear the song more clearly now; it’s a lot more lilting, with the tinkling sound of the keys accompanying the chords. The pianist is bent over the keys, as if he’s focused on watching his fingers as they dance across the keys, but when he tilts his head for a brief moment, Takao catches sight of his face. The pianists’ eyes are closed and there’s a small smile, a _sad_ sort of smile on his face, as he loses himself to the music.

This close, Takao notices that there’s another sound overlapping the tune. It takes him a moment to realize that the pianist is _humming_ along to the song. His voice is deep, but not _too_ deep, and Takao wonders what it would sound like if he were singing instead of just humming.

Takao leans forward, resting his elbows on the surface of the bar as he continues to listen, letting his mind be swept along with the song, not paying attention to anything else.

“Oi, Takao, I thought I told you to restock the brandy bottles,” Aomine’s voice breaks through his reverie and Takao swivels around, startled. “What the hell are you doing here, slacking off?”

The music stops playing, and Takao turns back to see that pianist is now standing up and making his way towards the bar.

“Midorima,” Aomine greets, without any formalities, and Takao raises his eyebrow at the familiarity.

“Aomine. Akashi said you would be here at _four_.”

“I was asleep.”

“I see you haven’t changed much since high school,” Midorima answers in an annoyed voice, adjusting his glasses.

“I grew taller,” Aomine deadpans. Takao coughs hurriedly to hide his snort of laughter, and Aomine turns to him. “Takao--”

“Bottles, brandy, coming up!” Takao answers cheerfully, heading towards the direction of the storeroom before Aomine can yell at him in front of Midorima.

Minutes later, he’s rearranging the bottles in the liquor section to make room for ones he’s brought out of the storeroom, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible as he sneaks glances at Midorima, who’s leaning against the bar. Aomine is nowhere to be found, but Takao can guess that he’s in the backroom, smoking.

“The song you were playing earlier, what’s it called?” Takao asks. He doesn’t normally pay attention to the tunes that are played in the club; he prefers rock and metal over jazz or blues, but suddenly in this instance, he’s yearning to hear it again.

The song, according to Midorima, is ‘Misty’. As Takao listens to Midorima launch into an explanation of the song’s history, he discovers that it is an classic jazz song composed by an American musician, which had been covered by several big names in the jazz industry, notably Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and Frank Sinatra.

Takao only recognizes one name from this list. He doesn’t mention this to Midorima.

“What’s it about?” When Midorima had played it, the song had sounded melancholy, and Takao wonders if it’s about lost love, or something tragic like that, and mentions this as well.

Midorima gives him an odd look, long and searching, before he finally answers. “It’s about being in love,” he answers dryly.

Someone’s mobile rings, and then Midorima is answering it, greeting Akashi curtly, as he steps away from the bar, away from Takao.

When Takao reaches home after his shift is over, he searches for the song on the internet. He listens to the various covers online, going through the lyrics obsessively, but none of them sound as satisfying as the first version he had heard earlier that day, in the quiet afternoon.

That night, as Takao sleeps and dreams, Midorima’s song plays comfortingly in his mind, like a pleasant soundtrack to his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is taken from the lyrics in [Misty](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPOlakkBlj8), which was composed in 1954 by Erroll Garner, with the lyrics written by Johnny Burke later on. The song reminded me so much of the Takao's relationship with Midorima in the manga that I had to use it here. ([Lyrics](http://www.metrolyrics.com/misty-lyrics-ella-fitzgerald.html))
> 
> I just really like jazz music.


End file.
